This Fiftysomething Fashion Stylist Has A Wardrobe To Die For
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Loading... - Lucia Manzo
- 26 May 2022
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“I had 300 followers when I uploaded the photoshoot,†says 51-year-old Canadian stylist and The Row super-fan Neelam Ahooja of the Olsen-inspired shoot she staged with her best friend Mona in October 2020.
“I had 300 followers when I uploaded the photoshoot,” says 51-year-old Canadian stylist and The Row super-fan Neelam Ahooja of the Olsen-inspired shoot she staged with her best friend Mona in October 2020. The fact she now has an online audience of close to 80,000 is some indication of the reaction to it. For Neelam, an accountant-turned-stay-at-home mum who had amassed a vast collection of pieces from Mary-Kate and Ashley’s much-loved minimalist brand, it also signalled the start of a new career. “I’ve always loved styling myself and I have been dressing my friends for over a decade. I knew that if I didn’t share my archive with the world, it would begin and end with me,” she tells Vogue.
Even before the collector began sharing her wardrobe with thousands of people online, fashion was an integral part of her everyday life, but it’s only now that she’s making her passion her career. “I grew up in the 1970s. The town I was raised in was very narrow-minded, racist, and not very encouraging of the arts,” she says. Neelam, born to East Indian immigrants in the suburbs of Belleville, Ontario, initially pursued a career in accountancy in spite of her natural creative instincts. “My parents wanted my path to be easier than theirs was, so I chose accountancy – it wasn’t something I enjoyed,” she says earnestly.
Even while juggling the demands of her career as an accountant, Neelam would carve out pockets of time to spend compiling images to make scrapbooks and poring over fashion magazines. She even trained to be an Indian classical dancer before finally quitting her nine to five in 2003 to become a stay-at-home mum. “Looking back, there were so many clues that I was more creatively inclined!”
More than two years after she posted the viral shoot, the content creator – frequently seen wearing her beloved Constance sandals by The Row on her TikTok page – has acquired an Instagram audience that includes the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whitely and dancer, Mette Towley. “For me, interacting with people who love fashion is one of my favourite things about this entire experience. I try to include links to pieces I own when possible, and I encourage my followers to buy secondhand pieces if an item is sold-out. I’ve also been following suit.”
The Row stumbled across Neelam’s content and reached out to her, much to her surprise. In fact, the mother-of-two was one of the guests sitting on the front row at the autumn/winter 2022 show in Paris alongside Kendall Jenner. “It felt like I had died and gone to heaven!” she recalls fondly. “Ashley was outside the venue and we briefly spoke. Mary-Kate and Ashley love talking about their clothing more than anything, which I relate to. They epitomise everything that I love about luxury fashion – their designs are elegant, clean, and timeless.”
While talking about her first The Row purchase (it was a beige viscose-blend top that she purchased in 2009), we land on the topic of her most worn item. She pauses for a split second, then her eyes light up as she replies: “The Gaia sandals. They’re the shoes that propelled Fisherman sandals to superstar status, and they’re quintessentially ‘The Row’.” She’ll be teaming them with vintage denim skirts or shorts this summer, she says. “I’ve waited my whole life to share my passion. I gave up my career and I raised my kids, so now it’s my time.” Read More...
